Little Moments
by gypsywriter135
Summary: Little moments throughout our lives help us define who we are, as well as the people who are present during them.


I promised more stories :)

And here's one!

So, let me explain this a little. It's a songfic, but sort of in a different manner. There's an entire song in it, but the lines of the song aren't just thrown into the middle of the story. Instead, they are actually a part of the tale. In this case, they are spoken at the end of every little "moment."

Which is another little unique thing about this fic: It's not one consistent story; it's little moments all through time.

In this case, it's moments scattered around from when the turtles are about thirteen, up until the age of about seventy. The ages do not go in order. They are scattered throughout the story; it shouldn't be too hard to see when certain ages are...

Oh, and the parts that are in bold are the song lyrics. THEY actually go in order.

Anyways, that should be enough info for now... Any questions, please feel free to ask! :D

Disclaimer: Leo and Raph aren't mine... not yet, anyways... ;) (I kid, I kid). The song, "Name" belongs to the Goo Goo Dolls

**TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT**

Raphael continued to star at his brother, watching every little move he made. Every twitch of his hands, shift of the eyes, turn of the head, step that he took…

Every.

Little.

Move.

And when his brother's golden-brown eyes rose up to meet his, Raph quickly looked away. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his brother say something to their other brothers, and slowly walk over to him, face contorted in worry.

He brushed Raph, who was leaning against the door frame, on his way out, and after a few seconds, the red-banded turtle turned and slowly followed. He watched as his brother walked, thinking that he had almost taken that from him…

That if he hadn't come to his senses, then his brother probably wouldn't be looking at him with those big, golden, eyes.

"Everything okay, Raph?" he asked.

He wouldn't be talking to him right now.

"How do you do it?"

He looked at Raph, brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I almost killed you, Leo… How do you act like everything's okay?"

He simply smiled at Raph. "What seems to be the problem, baby brother?" he asked softly.

Raph closed his eyes and turned his head. "**And even though the moment passed me by, I still can't turn away…**"

TMNT

Leonardo stared sadly at his brothers. What he wouldn't give to make sure that they got what they wanted in life.

But that could never happen.

Raph looked up from where he and his younger brothers were sitting on the couch, watching a movie and having a grand time. His older brother was silently watching them from the doorway of the dojo. He raised an eyebrow at him, which Leo simply replied with a stone-faced stare.

"You know what I want to do?" Mikey suddenly asked, turning Raph's attention back to his other brothers. "I want to be a movie director and producer."

Don smiled. "I want to become a world famous inventor."

"Yeah? Well I'd like to race in the Indy 500," Raph piped in.

Leo watched as the three of them talked about their dreams… dreams that he knew would someday come true, if he had anything to say about it.

"Hey, Leo!"

He turned to his brothers.

"What about you? What do you want to do?"

Leo smiled sadly and shrugged. His brothers blinked at him, then turned back to their discussion.

He couldn't remember the last time he had a dream he wanted to fulfill.

"You can't have dreams," the little voice in his head told him. "You're leader. You had them once, but now you have responsibility…"

Leo took in a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes as the little voice continued.

"**Cause all the dreams you never thought you'd lose, Got tossed along the way**…"

TMNT

"What are these?"

Raph looked up from his book and almost fell out of his hammock.

"You weren't supposed to find those…" he muttered, glaring at his brother.

"Why not?"

" 'Cause I wasn't going to send them anyways. It's like my own personal diary."

Leo walked over and sat down next his brother.

"Did you read them?" Raph whispered.

Leo turned the small package in his hands over. "No…"

Raph let out a relieved sigh.

"So…"

Raph looked at his brother.

"Do you _want_ me to read them?"

Raph stared at the package his brother was holding...

"Let's just _talk_ about it, instead…"

His brother smiled.

Hours later, the two were lying on the floor in a comfortable silence.

"We should do this more often…" Raph said quietly.

Leo sat up on his elbows and looked at him. "**And letters that you never meant to send**…?"

Raph sat up all the way and grabbed the package, tossing it into the trash can besides his hammock. He looked at his brother.

"**Get lost or thrown away**."

TMNT

Raph sighed. "What happens now?"

"We move on."

Startled, he whipped around and came face to face with his older brother.

"What do you want, Leo?" he grumbled.

"Came to see if you were okay."

"No, Leo. I'm not okay! Our father is dead!"

Leo said nothing.

"And I feel like I don't know who we are anymore! There's no one else around who can share what we are! **And now we're grown up orphans, that never knew their names!**"

TMNT

He felt his brother sit down next to him on the rooftop.

"We've been looking for you all day."

Leo nodded.

They sat in silence for a while.

"I don't understand what the big deal is," Raph said. "I mean, it's just Karai. She's been a thorn in our shell for years. Now we don't have to deal with the Foot anymore."

"That's not the point," Leo muttered.

Raph was silent.

"Did you…?"

Leo smiled a small smile and shook his head. "No, Raph. I didn't."

"…Then what's the problem…?"

He took a deep breath. "Master Splinter, Casey, April… The Shredder and now Karai… there's no one else we can associate with…"

"What?"

"**We don't belong to no one."**

"**That's a shame**," came the reply.

TMNT

Leo awoke to feel something lying next to him. He opened a bleary eye and saw a flash of red.

"Raph?"

"Oh, good, you're awake."

Leo blinked tiredly.

"What?"

"You were having a nightmare," came a muffled reply. "Started screaming. Thought it might help if I lay with you for a little."

"I wasn't-"

"Don't deny it, Leo. I heard you through the wall."

There was a flash of thunder that shook the sewer, and Leo barely caught the small yelp next to him. He smiled.

"I'm fine now, Raph," he said. "**But if you could hide beside me**…"

"…**Maybe for a while**…"

"**And I won't tell no one your name**."

"**And I won't tell 'em your name**..." He repeated softly, already slipping back into the darkness.

TMNT

Leo's gaze shifted to his brother's hands, which were empty.

"Don't you want to take anything back with you?" he asked. Even Leo himself had grabbed a small memento of their travels.

Raph shook his head.

"I'm good. Plus, Mikey has got enough for the four of us."

"I heard that!"

Later, Leo asked him again.

He replied, "**Scars are souvenirs you never lose, the past is never far**."

TMNT

They were fighting again.

They could never seem to leave each other alone for any specific period of time. Raph glared at his brother. He couldn't even remember what they were arguing about anymore.

Sometimes Leo just got him that mad…

"At least I'm not the one who put our family in danger! This is almost as bad as that Nightwatcher stuff you pulled years ago!"

Raph sneered and chuckled.

"Look who's talking, jungle boy!" He yelled. "I didn't disappear for a year and let my family think I was dead!"

Raph knew he hit a raw nerve. This was always a touchy subject with his brother. It only proved him further right when Leo glared at him and turned on his heel, heading for the door.

But Raph wasn't finished. He continued to yell at his brother's retreating form.

"**Did you lose yourself somewhere out there**? **Did you get to be a star**?"

TMNT

Raph felt a hand gently squeeze his shoulder as his brother lowered himself next him on the couch.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Raph," he said.

"How can I not? I feel like it was all my fault…"

"Coming from me, this has got to be right; You don't have to carry the world on your shoulders all the time."

"It's not that…"

"Then what is it?"

Raph was silent for a moment.

"Just… There's _so much_ out there… and we're just… here…"

Leo was silent.

"**And don't it make you sad to know that life, is more than who we are**?"

TMNT

He tried to hold back, but he just couldn't. Luckily, it was raining, so no one knew…

Or, so he thought…

He was startled when he turned and saw Raph standing there, watching him silently.

"What're you doing here?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that…"

He sniffed. "I…"

Raph walked over and gently enveloped him in a hug. He gratefully returned the gesture, letting the water from his eyes flow a little more freely.

"I just… I feel like I'm the only one…"

Raph rubbed small circles into his shell, and nodded. "I think I understand…"

He pulled away and looked at his brother, eyes questioning, tears mixing with rain on his face.

"**You grew up way too fast**," Raph whispered. "**And now there's nothing to believe**…"

TMNT

Leo ducked as his brother aimed a swipe at his head, kicking Raph's legs out from under him as he did so.

Raph fell to the ground and rolled, coming up to a crouch, jumping in the air as Leo charged at him. He spun and blocked his brother's sword attack with his sais, spinning and landing a kick to his opponent's plastron. Leo flew back and landed gracefully, looking through the snow to find his brother.

He was never expecting the attack from behind.

It was only when he was lying on his shell on the snow-covered grass, Raph's sais pointed between his eyes, storm raging around them, did he allow a smile come to his face.

Raph glared at him. "What?" he spat angrily.

Leo sighed tiredly, but that smile remained on his face. "**And reruns all become our history**…"

TMNT

Raph ignored him.

That's not to say that Leo wasn't used to it, but it was becoming more frequent than not.

"Are you mad at me?"

Raph continued to work on his bike, not even acknowledging Leo's presence.

"Come on, Raph. Talk to me."

Silence.

"At least look at me…"

Raph stopped in his work for a moment, and Leo thought that he had finally made some progress.

Instead, the turtle in red reached over and flicked on the stereo, where his favorite song suddenly blasted around the garage.

And he went back to his work.

Leo sighed and turned, heading toward the door.

"**A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio**," he whispered, the door closing behind him.

TMNT

"Come on, Leo! It's not like this isn't normal!"

Leo shook his head. "I'm not going."

"But…"

"Raph, I already told you."

"Come on! You're a grown turtle! This is supposed to be what men do!"

"We're not men, Raphael…"

"Close to it…"

Leo sighed. "Fine. But just this once."

Raph smiled.

"But we're wearing disguises."

He nodded.

"Oh, and Raph?"

He looked at Leo.

"**And I won't tell no one your name**."

Raph nodded. "**And I won't tell 'em your name**."

TMNT

Raph watched as his brother fell, struggling to get up. He felt his blood boil, and he ran towards the Purple Dragon member, a war-cry escaping his mouth.

After a few moments, when he was sure that the gang member was not going to get up, he rushed over to his brother.

"Leo! You okay?!"

His brother's eyes remained closed.

"Leo?"

"I'm fine…"

Raph breathed easier.

"Why'd you do that?" Raph whispered.

"Do what?" Leo asked, opening his eyes and, with his brother's help, stood up slowly.

"Take on that guy…" he replied. "You're exhausted, and I was more than capable of taking him on.

"It's what I do…" Leo said, sheathing his swords.

"Why can't you just think about yourself for once?"

Leo turned and walked away, but not before Raph caught his soft words.

"**I think about you all the time, but I don't need the same**…"

TMNT

He watched as his brother stood in the middle of the dojo, the sounds of the party still in full swing coming from the other room.

"Hey…"

His brother looked up.

"Hi, Raph…"

The two of them stood there for a few moments, just looking at each other.

"Come join the party, Leo," he said.

His brother shook his head. "I've got to practice."

"You practiced this morning…"

"Someone's got to protect you guys."

"We can protect ourselves."

"Not all the time. I'm the leader. It's what I do."

"**It's lonely where you are, come back down**."

He held out his hand to his brother, who, after a moment, took it. He smiled at his older brother.

"**And I won't tell 'em your name**…"

**TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT**

Yeah, see what I mean? Songfic, but totally different than normal!

I hope the ages were pretty easy to figure out... :)

Anyways, the inspiration for this came... in the car, lol. I was driving, and this song came on the radio. It's one of my favorites, and as I was singing along, a little thought came into my head. (The part about Leo and Raph on the rooftop and the "Grew up way to fast" part, as well as the very last four lyrics. The thing was, I didn't know how to put the two together, AND include the rest of the song in there too.

And then this came to me...

So reviews are greatly appreciated! :D I would like to know what everyone thinks... This is really different from what I usually do! :D


End file.
